Ford Motor Company today announced Ford Ranger sales in Asia Pacific rose 16 percent in the first half of 2014 to over 40,600 units.

The Asia Pacific markets (e.g:Australia, New Zealand the ASEAN markets) have been among Ford’s biggest selling markets for the popular Ranger one-ton pick-up truck since 2010.

“More and more consumers across the region and across the worldare choosing Ford Ranger,” said Dave Schoch, president, Ford Asia Pacific. “The award-winning truck is a global vehicle designed and engineered by our talented team in Asia Pacific to serve the demand of customers in 185 countries globally.”

“Ford Ranger has proven itself as the toughest and smartest truck that the customers can count on,” said Schoch. “This is especially true in Asia Pacific where Ranger is durable enough for customers who use it for construction and agriculture, while still being comfortable and safe enough to take the family on a road trip.”

Ford Ranger saw outstanding half-year performances throughout Asia Pacific.

Australia and New Zealand reported strong growth for Ranger, number two pickup truck in its segment through the first six months up 27 percent from a year ago to more than 16,200 units. This included a record June performance with sales that jumped 39 percent to nearly 3,800 units.

“The strong demand for Ranger, specifically XLT and WildTrak models, has been driving Ranger’s success. Australian and New Zealand customers, both individual customers and small businesses love its robustness, design and engine lineup,” said Bob Graziano, President  and CEO, Ford Australia.

Strong demand across the ASEAN region has helped Ranger firmly secure its position as Ford’s best-selling vehicle there, with overall sales rising nearly nine percent in the first half of the year to over 22,000 units.

The Ranger’s soaring popularity across ASEAN has helped it become the best-selling pickup truck overall in Vietnam, and among the segment leaders in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

“Our customers throughout ASEAN appreciate the Ranger’s versatility, durability and all-purpose practicality,” said Matt Bradley, president, Ford ASEAN. “Its distinctive styling, car-like comfort, and powerful yet fuel efficient engine are also helping drive the Ranger’s widening appeal to so many customers.”

Continued strong demand for the Ranger is helping Ford gain overall market share in Thailand amid a protracted domestic industry slowdown. As Ford’s best-selling nameplate in this pickup-friendly market, Ranger sales of 12,425 units through the first six months of the year have significantly outpaced its segment.

In the Philippines, the Ranger helped the company deliver its best-ever half-year sales result with its own record first-half performance and sales that jumped 64 percent to over 3,280 units. Ford recently launched three new variants of the Ranger in the Philippines, giving customers even more choice with this class-defining pickup truck.

Through the first half of the year, Ranger is leading the overall pickup segment in Vietnam with sales that have increased 143 percent to almost 1,650 units.

In Malaysia, Ranger is enjoying a record year with sales rising 43 percent to its best-ever first-half performance of 3,667 units.

And in Ford’s Asia Pacific Emerging Markets unit, which includes 22 fast-growing economies in the region, Ranger sales have risen 20 percent in the first half of the year to over 2,170 units.

Utilizing Ford’s global production footprint, Ford Ranger is manufactured on three continents, at the company’s AutoAlliance Thailand facility, the Silverton Assembly Plant in South Africa and the Pacheco Stamping and Assembly Plant in Argentina.

The AutoAlliance Thailand facility in Rayong is a strategic production and export hub that supplies markets across the Asia Pacific region.

The Ranger is currently sold in 185 markets, making it one of the farthest-reaching Ford vehicles in the world.